Golf is a sport in which a player, using several types of clubs, has the objective of getting a ball into each hole on the golf course in the lowest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that doesn't use a standardized playing area; rather, the game is played on golf “courses,” each one of which has a unique design and typically consists of either 9 or 18 separate holes. Golf is defined in the Rules of Golf as “playing a ball with a club from the teeing ground into the hole by a stroke or successive strokes in accordance with the Rules.”
Golf competition may be played as stroke play, in which the individual with the lowest number of strokes is declared the winner, or as match play with the winner determined by whichever individual or team posts the lower score on the most individual holes during a complete round. In addition, team events such as fourball have been introduced, and these can be played using either the stroke or match play format. Alternative ways to play golf have also been introduced, such as miniature golf and disc golf.
A round typically consists of 18 holes that are played in the order determined by the course layout. On a nine-hole course, a standard round consists of two successive nine-hole rounds. A hole of golf consists of hitting a ball from a tee on the teeing box, or a marked area designated for the first shot of a hole, a tee shot, and once the ball comes to rest, striking it again. This process is repeated until the ball is in the cup.
Once the ball is on the green, or an area of finely cut grass, the ball is usually putted, or hit along the ground into the hole. The goal of resting the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible may be impeded by hazards, such as bunkers and water hazards.
Putting is a final stroke to hole out a ball, after driving and approach. To hole out, the centers of a hole cup, the ball, and a putter should be aligned on one plane, before correctly striking the ball.
Putting is a very important part of the game of golf. On a standard par 72 course, half of the allotted strokes toward par are allocated for putting. There are at least two important aspects in learning to be a good putter, these include proper alignment of the putter blade with respect to the target, and proper alignment of the golfer's eyes with respect to the ball. The importance of proper alignment of the putter blade with respect to the target is self evident since the object of putting is to accurately control the trajectory of the ball. The importance of eye position is that without ones eyes directly over the ball, the golfer cannot properly determine and learn the correct relationship between the putter face and the target. The importance of proper eye position in putting was pointed out by Jack Nicholas in his book, Golf My Way. One of the difficulties with proper alignment is that the human eye, unaided, is not capable of accurately drawing an imaginary target path between the ball and hole and subsequently aligning the putter and his own eye at the required angles to this line to achieve a successful putt.
Known sighting devices may be broadly divided into four groups. Firstly there are devices which are mounted on the shaft of a putter which are unsatisfactory because they are generally unwieldy, adversely effect the natural balance of a club, and tend to cause parallax.
The second group of sighting devices are specially constructed golf putters. This specification describes a specially constructed golf putter in which is permanently mounted an inclined ball and target aligning mirror and a horizontal eye aligning mirror for aligning the eye of a player. Such golf putters are unsatisfactory primarily because they cannot be used under the rules of golf. It may be useful for a player to train using such a putter however when playing the game he must re-adjust back to his own putter without any sighting device and with the attendant disadvantages of a change in size, shape, weight and particularly balance. The most important disadvantage of this putter is that it is a separate item of equipment which the player must train with and is not a putter which can be used in play under the rules of golf.
The third class of sighting device is of the type which must be used in association with a particular putter. Generally the putter blade and sighting device have some form of complementary formations which are interengaged for mounting the device on the putter. Such devices essentially entail a combination of a specially constructed putter with a detachable sighting device. These devices not only suffer from the disadvantages of requiring a separate putter which cannot be used when playing under the rules of golf but are also optically unsatisfactory in that they only partially assist the player in putting the ball correctly in practice.
The final group of sighting devices are devices which it is claimed may be mounted on the blade of any putter and the blade is returned to its normal condition when the device is removed.
Optically, these devices are unsatisfactory in that while an inclined mirror on its own is of some assistance in lining a putt up correctly it is not fully accurate as the orientation of the putter face to the ball and the target path between the ball and pin will vary depending on the position of the player's eye. In addition, the device adversely effects the balance of the club with the result that if a ball is struck by the putter with the device attached with the same force as with the device removed not only will the ball be very unlikely to travel in the same direction but will not travel the same distance. In addition, the device described can only be mounted on putters having a shaft which extends from either end of the putter. Such putters are generally called bladed putters. It would be very difficult to use this device with a bladed putter having a curved back face and it would not be possible to mount such a device on a putter having a shaft which extends from the center of the putter blade—a so called center shafted putter.
In some of these devices, an inclined mirror is not sufficient to achieve the correct orientation of the putting face of a putter to a target line between the ball and pin as this will vary depending on the position of the player's eye. Further, the device can only be used with a putter blade having a flat continuous rear face. Only a relatively small percentage of putters presently on sale have such a flat continuous rear face. Further, such a device when attached to a putter adversely effects the normal balance of the putter and not only will a ball struck the same blow with the same putter with and without the sighting device attached be unlikely to travel in the same line but would also not travel the same distance.
Another problem in learning to putt is that greens are not typically flat. Many are sloped such that one often needs to aim the putter blade at a point which is to the left or right of the hole. It is important that a training system be able to provide feedback, regarding the relationship between where the putt is directed and where the ball travels and comes to rest. It is important that this feedback be learned from well aligned putts. Therefore, there is a need for a teaching device that will help a golfer learn to putt on greens that are not perfectly planar.
There is a need for a system and method for a golfer to learn the relationship between properly aligned putter face, the target and the path of the ball.
There is a need for a system and method for a learning golfer to systematically vary the direction in which the ball is targeted while maintaining proper eye position and putter face alignment.
The inventor has identified a need for a unitary device that can teach, and allow a golfer to practice on his own, the important basic skills of putting: proper club head path; proper club face angle at impact; proper posture and proper eye alignment; and green reading.